Piscivory in recovering Lake Michigan cisco (Coregonus artedi)

Session: Exploring Predator-Prey Relationships and Feeding Ecology in the Great Lakes (4)

Jory Jonas, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, [email protected]
Ben Breaker, Central Michigan University, [email protected]
Jason Smith, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, [email protected]
Benjamin Turschak, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, [email protected]
Kevin Pangle, Central Michigan University , [email protected]

Abstract

Cisco (Coregonus artedi) were historically a principal component of the native deepwater fish community of Lake Michigan and were nearly extirpated. Cisco are typically considered obligate planktivores or invertevores. Recently, remnant cisco populations in northeastern Lake Michigan have increased to the extent that 12,000 fish were harvested recreationally in 2017. We examined spatial and seasonal trends in the diet composition of 881 cisco collected from northern Lake Michigan from 2014 to 2018. The mechanisms contributing to recent increases in cisco populations are unclear and the role of cisco in an ecosystem comprised of abundant non-native prey species even less so. We found non-native species and fish in particular are playing an important role in the diets of cisco in Lake Michigan. A surprising number of alewife and round goby were consumed and bythotrephes were important in diets of fish collected in the fall.

Twitter handle of presenter
@JonasJory